Part 2
Letting plants be shown to everyone through the art of painting was also quite good.
Zhu Ran lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then added Yan Youâs Xingxun ID.
[Zhu Ran: I am Zhu Ran, the owner of [Zhuying Anxiang]. I am interested in cooperating with artists. Let’s find a time to chat!]
On Planet Wenduerier, after Yan You accepted Zhu Ranâs friend request, he immediately started a video call with him.
When Yan Youâs image appeared on the optical computer, Zhu Ran felt he looked very familiar.
Isn’t this the barista from that midnight cafe in District 19?
What a coincidence.
When Yan You saw Zhu Ran, he was surprised by the other man’s age.
Zhu Ran was much younger than he had imagined, looking like he wasn’t even 20.
Yan You had always thought that a shop owner who could cultivate so many natural plants would be a kind middle-aged man over 80? Who could have thought he would be so young.
And…
As an art major, Yan You felt Zhu Ran looked very familiar.
Even though he had no memory of the man’s face, he felt like he had seen him somewhere.
Yan You couldn’t help but look at Zhu Ran for a while, finally unable to resist asking, “Have we met somewhere before?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yan You felt he had said the wrong thing.
Who says that to a business partner right off the bat?
Zhu Ran smiled faintly. “The coffee you brew is very good.”
Only then did Yan You slowly connect Zhu Ran with that very peaceful and quiet customer from a few nights ago.
No wonder Yan You felt Zhu Ran looked familiarâisn’t this just a smaller version of that customerâs image in the holographic world?
Yan You realized. “It’s you… what a coincidence. Iâve been a bit busy lately. You can come and try the latte art in a few days.”
Zhu Ran: “Sure, you can contact me on Xingxun when youâre free.”
The distance between them was shortened by their previous encounter.
Both parties were very sincere about the cooperation, and the initial cooperation didn’t involve too much, so the talk went very smoothly.
Zhu Ran would build another small eco-zone in a holographic cottage in the Xinggou community. This eco-zone would be open to permitted artists and provide them with inspiration.
In exchange, Zhu Ran would have the usage rights for all products made by the artists that were related to the Zhuying Anxiang shop.
At the same time, if a painting was sold, Zhu Ran would get a 5% cut.
The two parties also agreed that when the spring flowers bloomed, they would hold an art exhibition themed around natural plants on one of the three S-grade planets in the interstellar.
In addition, Yan You himself would provide Zhu Ran with a design for the holographic eco-zone.
After chatting for a bit more, they bid each other farewell and ended the video call.
After a moment, Zhu Ran sent photos of several natural plants to Yan You and gave his requirements: [Create an eco-zone using freesias, daisies, and lavender. I hope it gives a feeling of relaxation and peace.]
Yan You: [So the flower in the shop teaser is called lavender. Does this count as me getting the correct answer in advance?]
[The flowers are very beautiful. I can give you the design draft tomorrow.]
The cooperation with the artists was just a small beginning, but this way of cooperating made Zhu Ran feel that in this vast interstellar space, he was no longer a lonely boat drifting forward.
Meeting Xiu Nai, Mu Qingzhou, and others made Zhu Ranâs world go from colorless to brilliant and colorful, adding a lot of human warmth. And reaching a cooperation with Yan You added a few other small boats to the previously cold lake.
The lake was gradually becoming lively.
Although his cooperation with Yan You was just starting and was still nascent, and the future was still unknown…
But… as long as you bravely take a step forward, you can always reach the time when the spring flowers bloom.
“Things seem to be increasing, but… this is good.”
A faint smile hung on the corners of Zhu Ranâs mouth.
The purple lavender bloomed under the warm light, emitting a peaceful fragrance. Mixed with the sweetness of the freesia and the wilderness aura of the daisy, the scent was harmonious, not pungent, and rich in layers.
Immersed in the floral fragrance, Zhu Ranâs tensed emotions from not sleeping well for a night relaxed.
He stretched and lay on the lounge chair on the balcony, basking in the sun.
The warm light spilled over his body, making Zhu Ran squint his eyes in comfort.
Quiet and tranquil.
Jialan Comprehensive University was currently in the midst of a stressful “final exam hell.” Almost all the students were working through the night, and the academy remained brightly lit even at midnight.
Qin Ke was relying on daisy tea to stay refreshed and was doing quite well in his finals.
But seeing the daisy tea reduced by half and another jar nowhere in sight, Qin Ke felt very anxious.
Without daisy tea, how was he supposed to survive the theoretical courses…
“Oh, isn’t this Qin Ke? Long time no see~”
Zhuo Wen greeted Qin Ke.
Zhuo Wen and Qin Ke were old friendsâor rather, rivals since junior high. They couldn’t stand each other.
Qin Ke said crossly, “What do you want?”
“Iâm here to say thank you.” As Zhuo Wen spoke, he shook the glass jar in his hand.
Inside the transparent jar, dried daisies were lying quietly.
Zhuo Wen was triumphant. “Thanks for the daisy tea recommendation in your friend circle, Young Master Qin. I only checked today to find that this tea is hard to find in the entire interstellarâitâs a rare treasure.”
“And thanks to me having no classes this afternoon, I successfully bought it.”
“You have no idea~ after I posted ‘I bought [Zhuying Anxiang]âs daisy tea’ in my friend circle, so many people were begging to talk to me. I could barely keep up with them.”
“Sigh, I won’t say more. I have a dinner date with Daila tonightâyou know, the superstar Daila. Sheâs also very interested in daisy tea.”
“Anyway, thanks, Young Master Qin~”
With that, Zhuo Wen strutted away, leaving Qin Ke fuming on the spot.
He was about to explode with anger.
Qin Ke naturally remembered his post in the friend circle promoting the daisy tea.
He had been so careful, only posting to his friend circle and not the forums, yet his home was still “stolen.”
And by his most hated rival, Zhuo Wen.
Let you show off, let you share, let you be proud.
Now look at youâyou can’t buy it yourself anymore!
Heh, typical.
On the other side, Ye Zhao was looking at his optical computer, frowning with a troubled expression.
“Hmm… what kind of plant is this?”
His assistant, Zhou Zheng, seeing this, thought Ye Zhao was facing a struggle with his new song composition, so he stepped forward to show concern. “What’s wrong?”
Ye Zhao showed his optical computer to Zhou Zheng.
“Look, a new product teaser from [Zhuying Anxiang].”
Zhou Zheng: …
He still remembered how the first place for the December newbie shop, which should have been a sure win, had fallen through because of a certain “traitor.”
Now, he wanted to hit someone whenever he saw the name [Zhuying Anxiang].
Ye Zhao: “I don’t know what kind of natural plant this is, but I want the shop ownerâs prize.”
Zhou Zheng sneered.
It turned out his artist had become a loyal fan of [Zhuying Anxiang].
This was… just great.
Ye Zhao mused, “Do you think I should ask in the fan group? I have so many fans, surely someone will know what kind of natural plant this is.”
Zhou Zheng: “No. You don’t want to.”
Isn’t that the same as using your own traffic to promote [Zhuying Anxiang]?
Stop that dangerous thought immediately!
Yan You took some time in the evening to design two schemes for Zhu Ranâs small eco-zones.
After Zhu Ran received the designs, he was very satisfied with both schemes.
The first scheme used lavender as the primary plant, with daisies and freesias as accents.
The design was filled with purple, elegant and peaceful. Occasionally, a few white freesias and white daisies with red centers were dotted around.
At the same time, Yan You had added several sets of lighting in the small eco-zone to emphasize the relationship between light and dark, creating a sense of tranquility like a peaceful sea of flowers beneath the deep sky.
Zhu Ran could imagine that if this eco-zone were placed in the shop, not only the customers, but even he himself would want to admire it by the shop’s side.
Paired with the unique floral scent of lavender mixed with a grassy aroma, he likely wouldn’t be able to leave once he arrived.
The second scheme provided by Yan You created a sense of space by changing the terrain.
Freesias were cultivated in slightly higher places, daisies in the middle, and lavender covered the ground.
Yan You had also designed a small waterfall flowing down from the top, adding a sense of clarity and movement to the green, delicate space, making the entire eco-zone “come alive.”
The second scheme looked more like a hidden paradise, giving a sense of breaking through layers of branches to find lush, fragrant grass and falling blossoms.
“Compared to the schemes Yan You provided, the small eco-zone I designed before was just a toy.”
“As expected, professional work should be left to professionals.”
The small eco-zone Zhu Ran had placed in the shop was just planting the holographic images of flowers into the soil, without any sense of design.
“The lavender-themed one can be placed at the shop entrance, as promotion when the lavender is newly listed.”
“The other small valley can be placed in the homestead to provide inspiration for the artists.”
Having decided, Zhu Ran sent a message to Yan You: [Both designs are great! Iâll build the eco-zones in the Xinggou community in a couple of days. Iâll tell you once theyâre built.]
Yan You: (Sticker of a bunny holding an OK sign.jpg)
After finishing communication with Yan You, Zhu Ran saw it was late, so he checked on Zâs condition once more before bed.
Z was sleeping very restlessly at the moment, his brow furrowed.
His golden hair was scattered messily over the white blanket, like the glimmer of the sunset on the water, shining with fine golden light and dampened with a bit of cold sweat.
The corners of his mouth were pulled down, and he occasionally let out soft murmurs, looking very uncomfortable.
“Is he sick?”
Zhu Ran reached out and touched the man’s forehead. It didn’t feel hot, so he likely didn’t have a fever.
“Then itâs a nightmare, or an aftereffect caused by the Spiritual Sea Berserk.”
Zhu Ran left Zâs room and moved two pots of lavender from the balcony, placing them against the wall at the foot of the bed.
The scent of lavender has a soothing effect; he hoped it would let Z have a good night’s sleep.
“Sweet dreams.”
With that, Zhu Ran left the room and closed the door.
A faint, peaceful fragrance gradually filled the entire room. The lavender mixed with the scent of vanilla sugar, seeping into the boundless dark dreamscape, soothing the lightning and thunder.
Zefaer was no longer torn by a chaotic and violent spiritual sea, nor was he trapped in an endless corridor of deep abysses.
In his dream, there was only a warm light that wasn’t dazzling, a patch of blooming plants, and waves of peaceful, light fragrance.
Zefaer immersed himself in the air filled with soothing scents, his heart at peace.
Eventually, his brow smoothed, and he slept serenely.
…
The next morning, Zhu Ran pushed open the door to Zâs room, preparing to change his medicine.
As soon as he entered, Zhu Ran met a pair of blue-gold heterochromatic eyes.
The gold was as brilliant as amber, and the blue as clear as the ocean.
Z had regained consciousness.
Translator’s Note
Key Terms Recap:
- Spiritual Sea Berserk (粞çĽćľˇçć´): A state where spiritual power becomes destructive to the self and others.
- Vanilla Sugar (éŚčçł): The specific way Zefaer describes Zhu Ran’s unique scent.
- Zongzi (粽ĺ): A sticky rice dumpling. In Chinese slang (especially in novels), being “tied into a zongzi” means being bound very tightly and thoroughly.
- Old Six (čĺ ): A slang term for someone who plays selfishly or backstabs their team (referring to Ye Zhao’s previous “betrayal”).
I hope you enjoyed this update!
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